from Wikipedia: clandestine; Clandestine may refer to: Secrecy, the practice of hiding information from certain individuals or groups, perhaps while sharing it with other individuals Clandestine operation, a secret intelligence or military activity

Quote of the day: Any change, even a change for the better, is always accompanied by drawbacks and discomforts. by Arnold Bennett

Joanna I of Auvergne

Birthday of the day: Joanna I of Auvergne; Joan I of Auvergne (8 May 1326 – 29 September 1360, Chateau d’Argilly) was the daughter of William XII, Count of Auvergne and Boulogne, by his wife Marguerite d’Évreux (the sister of Philip III of Navarre). She was Queen consort of France by her marriage to King John II.

Joke of the day: Two barbershops were in red-hot competition. One put up a sign advertising haircuts for 7-dollars. His competitor put up one that read, ‘We repair 7-dollars hair cuts.’

Thought of the day: Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.

Fact of the day: 453 BC – Spring and Autumn period: The house of Zhao defeats the house of Zhi, ending the Battle of Jinyang, a military conflict between the elite families of the State of Jin.

Biography of the day: Bobby Fischer; Bobby Fischer (9 Mar. 1943-17 Jan. 2008), professional chess player and the eleventh official world chess champion, was born Robert James Fischer in Chicago, Illinois, to a single mother, Regina Wender Fischer. Bobby had an older sister, Joan, who was born to Regina, an American citizen of Polish-Jewish heritage, and then-husband Hans Gerhardt Fischer in 1937 while the couple lived in Moscow. In 1939 Regina and daughter Joan returned to the United States via Paris without Hans Gerhardt, who immigrated to Chile. Bobby’s paternity was uncertain. Though Regina had listed Hans Gerhardt Fischer as the father on the birth certificate, it is now strongly believed that Bobby’s father was Paul Felix Nemenyi, a Hungarian immigrant scientist of Jewish faith whom Regina had met in Colorado in the early 1940s.

Article of the day: Gary Cooper; Gary Cooper (1901–1961) was an American film actor known for his natural, authentic, and understated acting style. He was a movie star from the end of the silent film era through the end of the golden age of Classical Hollywood. Cooper began his career as a film extra and stunt rider and soon established himself as a Western hero in films such as The Virginian (1929). He played the lead in adventure films and dramas such as A Farewell to Arms (1932) and The Lives of a Bengal Lancer (1935), and extended his range of performances to include roles in most major film genres. He portrayed champions of the common man in films such as Mr. Deeds Goes to Town (1936), Meet John Doe (1941), Sergeant York (1941), The Pride of the Yankees (1942), and For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943). In his later years, he delivered award-winning performances in High Noon (1952) and Friendly Persuasion (1956). Cooper received three Academy Awards and appeared on the Motion Picture Herald exhibitors poll of top ten film personalities every year from 1936 to 1958. His screen persona embodied the American folk hero.

Did you know: a) that the Hallaton Helmet may have been owned by a Briton who fought alongside the Romans during their conquest of Britain in AD 43? b) that Queen Lili?uokalani’s song ‘Aloha ?Oe’ was inspired by the tender farewell and fond embrace between Colonel Boyd and one of the young ranch ladies at Maunawili? c) that the 1806 settlement of Chinese in Trinidad was the first organised settlement of Chinese people in the Caribbean, preceding the importation of Chinese-indentured labour by over 40 years? d) that most of Manchester’s Grade I listed buildings are Victorian, because of Manchester’s growth during the Industrial Revolution?